Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle

Constructor: Katie Hoody

Relative difficulty: Easy

THEME: none

Word of the Day: O'SHEA Jackson Jr. (49D: Actor ___ Jackson Jr.) —

O'Shea Jackson Jr. (born February 24, 1991), also known by the stage name OMG, is an American actor, rapper and songwriter. He is the oldest son of Ice Cube and, in his feature film debut, he portrayed his father in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton.

• • •

[CRINKLE-CUT]

Well this is more like it. This is the kind of late-week grid I live for. Just stacked with sparkling long answers—triple stacks of 10 (well, 10-10-9) in every dang corner, plus a couple of gridspanners that cut the grid in half, top-to-bottom as well as lengthwise. It was the central long Down that really cracked things open, sending me whooshing from the top of the grid all the way to the bottom with just a little push from the first few letters:

From there, I had access to the SW corner, and it only remained for me to throw JACK DIDDLY SQUAT across the grid to get a toehold in the SE as well. The long answers really lit up the grid at every turn. Not a dull patch to be found. I particularly loved sinking into the DEATH METAL PLUNGE POOL of AQUITAINE. Now there's a historical fantasy novel title for you. I would read The DEATH METAL PLUNGE POOL of AQUITAINE. Maybe Bardugo and Okorafor could team up on that one. Got bestseller written all over it. I don't normally care for DEATH METAL, or any metal (29D: Extreme music subgenre with heavily distorted guitars), but man that answer looks good, particularly when paired so incongruously with PLUNGE POOL. Are DEATH METAL PLUNGE POOLs kept at ROOM TEMP? That doesn't seem very ... deathy.

Once again, there was way, way too little resistance for a Saturday puzzle, and the way the puzzle went about generating what little resistance it offered was the cheap way, i.e. via trivia. NOOR is crosswordese of old, but today the puzzle tried to hide it behind a new clue (11D: 2021 science fiction novel by Nnedi Okorafor)—which, good for them, but also, a recentish scifi novel that didn't win any major awards ... that's gonna be a big ??? for a lot of solvers. NOOR sounds like a cool book, actually, but as book titles go, I don't know how familiar it is. That clue is here to be a speed bump. It's the kind of trivia you either know or don't, and that you can't even infer from the clue. I'd love for this puzzle to be harder, but via clever cluing, not pop culture quizzes. See also LEIGH Bardugo—a bestselling author, for sure, but why are we going to the fantasy/scifi well twice in one puzzle? And going to Superman lore (LARA) and Star Wars yet again (REN). I feel like I should put up a "___ Days Without a Star Wars Clue" sign around here. I doubt we'd ever get out of single digits, and mostly the sign would read "0." Weirdly, I think I'd mind these pop culturefied short answers less if the puzzle was harder generally. Like, you wanna come at me, come at me. Throwing up these little proper noun roadblocks isn't going to do it. They probably aren't tough enough to hold anyone up for very long. You can just blow right through and around them. (Note: I actually knew LEIGH Bardugo, but only vaguely, and I remembered her today mainly because she blurbed the back of R.F. Kuang's new book Katabasis, which I started reading yesterday—when will KUANG hit the grid? Or RFKUANG—now that's got grid potential!)

The hardest thing in the grid for me, by far, was DEMO REEL (37D: Best performances by an actor in a short film?). Could not parse that baby to save my life. Needed every cross. Was it the very last answer I got? Yup, you can see on my finished grid (above) that only after I got that final "L" from SPIEL was the answer complete, and only a few seconds after that did I parse it correctly. Actually, I probably sat there with the last square unfilled until I realized how "L" was supposed to work—I hate putting in the last letter if I'm not extremely sure that I'm going to get the "Congratulations" message. Obviously, it's the "?" clue on DEMO REEL that's causing the problem. First of all, it looks like a plural ("Best performances..."). At first, I thought the clue was kind of forced and convoluted, but now I see it's actually extremely literal. A DEMO REEL will showcase an actor's best performances. Nice. More of this, please! It's Saturday! Whack me with a DEMO REEL or two (or four or nine).

Aside from a tendency to lean into crosswordese in the margins, the one thing that I didn't really care for today was JACK DIDDLY SQUAT. Feels like a conjoined twins-type answer. Which is to say, I know that term "jack squat" very well. Hear it all the time. And I know the term "diddly squat." I don't hear it all the time, but I definitely hear it. JACK DIDDLY SQUAT, though, I do not hear. I'm sure someone has said it, but it seems infinitely more likely that you'd opt for either JACK or DIDDLY rather than try to grab hold of both of them at once. The phrase just didn't ring true to my ear.

Not that it matters much, but this grid has 90º rotational symmetry. That is, usually if you rotate a crossword grid 180º, the black squares end up in the same place (ordinary rotational symmetry), but today, the black squares end up in the same place with every 90º turn. That's, like, twice the symmetry. Double your symmetry, double your fun! Or ... fail to notice or appreciate it at all. Your call!

Bullets:

5A: ___ Seton, author of "Foxfire" and "Katherine" (ANYA) — more of that crosswordese I was talking about. I have seen ANYA's name a lot, but only in crosswords. See also ALOP, yikes. Oh, and ABES—still not a thing.
22A: City west of Knoxville (OAK RIDGE) — What? Where? "Oak Ridge's population was 31,402 at the 2020 census" (wikipedia). The only thing I know about OAK RIDGE is boys. They are famous for their boys.

47D: Hollywood icon Davis (BETTE) — you've heard of the Three-Body Problem? Well, this is the Four-Davis Problem—VIOLA? OSSIE? GEENA? BETTE? The only way you're gonna know for sure is if you get some crosses.
28A: Bussing on the street, e.g., in brief (PDA) — that's "bussing" as in "kissing," not "bussing" as in "sending kids to school on the bus" (which is also spelled "bussing," but also, maybe more commonly, spelled "busing"). PDA = public display of affection.

Continuing with 🌲🐈Holiday Pet Pics🐕🌲 now. Note: PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME ANY MORE PET PICS, I'M ALL FULL UP FOR THIS YEAR, thank you.

First up is Bugle the one-eyed pirate! Look at his sweet tabby face, his cute asymmetrical white markings. If you look only at the left side of his face, he looks like he's sleeping. But no! It's a trick! He is vigilant! A vigilant tree guardian!

[Thanks, Meredith!]

Lucy, on the other hand, is not really known for her vigilance. Not really a guard dog. More of a lie-around-and-accept-scritches dog. It takes all kinds, Lucy. They also serve who only stand and wait (for scritches)!

[Thanks, Anne and Jacob!]

Remi's like "who is this weird beardo and can I tear him up?" Go for it, Remi!

[Thanks, Tom and Ann]

And now a live shot of me! ... nope, I'm sorry, this is actually Baloo. We apparently have the same interests, the same energy level, the same impeccable typing posture. Also, we enjoy the same holiday-season activities. (R.I.P., you sweet cruciverbalist baby)

[Thanks, Jennifer!]

Mindy the Morkie is ready for her close-up...

[Thanks, Karen!]

And finally there's Anni, who is going back to bed, what time is it even? (R.I.P., sweetheart)

[Thanks, Kat!]

See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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Constructor: Andrew Spooner

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: none

Word of the Day: MOA (39A: Down Under bird that scientists are working to "de-extinct") —

Moa (order Dinornithiformes) are an extinct group of flightless birds formerly endemic to New Zealand. During the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, there were nine species, in six genera. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about 3.6 metres (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about 230 kilograms (510 lb); the smallest, the bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis), was about the size of a turkey. Estimates of the moa population when Polynesians settled New Zealand circa 1300 range from 58,000 to 2.5 million.
Moa are traditionally placed in the ratite group. Genetic studies have found that their closest relatives are the flighted South American tinamous, once considered a sister group to ratites. The nine species of moa were the only wingless birds, lacking even vestigial wings, which all other ratites have. They were the largest terrestrial animals and dominant herbivores in New Zealand's forest, shrubland, and subalpine ecosystems until the arrival of the Māori, and were hunted only by Haast's eagle. Moa extinction occurred within 100 years of human settlement of New Zealand, primarily because of overhunting. [...] The creature has frequently been mentioned as a potential candidate for revival by cloning. Its iconic status, coupled with the facts that it only became extinct a few hundred years ago and that substantial quantities of moa remains exist, mean that it is often listed alongside such creatures as the dodo as leading candidates for de-extinction. Preliminary work involving the extraction of DNA has been undertaken by Japanese geneticist Ankoh Yasuyuki Shirota.
Interest in the moa's potential for revival was further stirred in mid-2014 when New Zealand Member of Parliament Trevor Mallard suggested that bringing back some smaller species of moa within 50 years was a viable idea. The idea was ridiculed by many, but gained support from some natural history experts.
In July 2025, American biotechnology Colossal Biosciences announced early phases of plans to "revive" the South Island giant moa by adding moa genes to a related species in collaboration with the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre with funding from Peter Jackson.

• • •

The puzzle seems fine, nothing really ugly about it. It just felt boring. Also, irksome. Three superhero clues, two Albus Dumbledores, and a "de-extincted" MOA in a pear tree. OK, just one ALBUS Dumbledore today, but one yesterday as well, so it sure feels like two. And RAGNAROK isn't technically clued via the Marvel movie title Thor: RAGNAROK, but that's certainly the only way I know that term (12D: The world's end, in Norse mythology). The idea of "de-extincting" animals is horrifying to me. If things are dead, they're dead, let them be dead. Nothing good is going to come from humans trying to raise the dead. We can't even be bothered to do the basic work of preserving the life that does exist on this planet. It's not like Things Are Better Now. We're extinctifying species more than ever. The hubris and lack of foresight here is astonishing. The ways those MOA will be exploited, ugh. Did no one read Tusks of Extinction? God knows I love a MOA. There's a picture of me around here with a museum recreation of one (aha, found it—see above). But that clue, ick. See also the clue on PESETA (54A: Old coin with a picture of Generalissimo Franco). The only time I want to see "Generalissimo Franco" in my puzzle is never. On the off chance you're not familiar with him, here you go:

His government's use of forced labour, concentration camps and executions after the war led to at least 30,000 deaths, with some estimates exceeding 200,000. Combined with wartime killings, this brings the death toll of the White Terror to between 100,000 and 350,000 or more. During World War II, he maintained Spanish neutrality, but supported the Axis powers, damaging the country's international reputation. (wikipedia)

In short, f*** that guy, and f*** this puzzle for the completely needless insertion of a murderous fascist dictator into my Friday puzzle. Gonna have to go replenish my holiday cheer supply later. Maybe have pie for breakfast, I dunno. But "Generalissimo Franco," yeesh, not on my Boxing Day bingo card, dislike. Dislike. I am smashing the Dislike button.

[USHERING]

The grid shape today means that there's not a lot of space for marquee fill. You get the two gridspanners, and they're nice, but the rest is workmanlike, at best. Nothing wrong with any of the 8s in the corners, but there's nothing particularly remarkable about them either. I think the NW is probably the most interesting. Makes me think of a really lazy bank robber, a dilly-dallying hold-up man who can't be bothered to run for it. A SLOWPOKE with a MONEYBAG. That mental image is amusing to me. And then you've got the KANGAROO hopping out of that corner. It's fun. The rest of the grid was less fun, more ho-hum. I guess there's some visual interest in having the answer TIGHTROPE WALKER streeeeeetch from one end of the grid to the other—though at 15 letters, that's always what a TIGHTROPE WALKER's gonna do (at least in a standard-sized puzzle). I guess the puzzle gets some credit for making the answer an Across and not a Down. Preserves the appearance of an actual tightrope. That's something, I suppose.

This one started out with what felt like might be a proper level of Friday difficulty, but after I got out of the top third of the grid, the puzzle offered no more resistance. I think there was some hesitation with EPITOMES and the -IFT twins (RIFT + GIFT) (46D: Big break + 44A: Facility), but otherwise, every answer went right in, not much thought required. Up top, though, I slipped and slid around a little before gaining traction. Couldn't even get started in the NW until I'd done the most basic solving trick—start with the suffix you believe a clue requires. In this case, the "-LY" in SMUGLY (1D: How a supervillain might brag). From there I got YTD and then LOSE IT and ON HOLD followed soon after. I totally forgot LILYs were toxic to cats. I also thought "untended plots" were HOLEY (been reading a lot this holiday season, so I was thinking novels, not gardens). I thought the [Broad band?] was ORE (not OBI). I thought the BOUT was a MEET (10D: Contest). The biggest snag up top, though, was the final vowel in BULGUR (18A: Cracked wheat used in tabbouleh). "U" was my ... third choice. Definitely started with BULGAR ... that's something, isn't it? Yes. A noun meaning "a Bulgarian." Also, an alt-spelling of BULGUR. When the "A" didn't pan out, I switched to "E," which ... yeah, now I see that's more "one who bulges" than wheat type. Eventually, TRUE LOVE showed me the way. Thank you, TRUE LOVE.

Bullets:

25A: A cold one is unexpected (and usually unappreciated) (CALL) — true enough. But if you're me, all CALLs are unappreciated. When we used to have a landline and the phone would ring, I'd resent it. Why, why would you make this machine ring? In my house? Things were so peaceful. Nowadays, half my (cell) phone CALLs are spam (or so my phone tells me). The other half are doctors or dentists or what have you. I text. Makes me realize, I never did like the phone. An exhausting contraption. For me, the phone is an intrusive, energy-depleting machine. Maybe this is why I'm so bad about calling my parents. Or anyone. These people who talk on the phone in public (!?), talk on the phone while they're out walking (!?!?!?!) ... I will never understand.
29A: Food that can be prepared de canasta (TACOS) — I don't know this method of preparation. I just like that TACOS is the answer to 29-Across, and then 30-Across starts [___ Tuesday] (30A: ___ Tuesday (end of the pre-Lenten season) (SHROVE)). I was like, "ooh, more TACOS!?" But no.
47A: It might be marked with an X (PORNO) — first, probably marked with more "X"s than that. Second, nothing about this clue signals abbrev. or shortening or slang, so I call foul. I think I'd call it PORN or a PORN MOVIE before I'd call it a PORNO. PORN sounds normal, whereas PORNO sounds like something that SLEAZO from yesterday likes to watch.
53A: Life partner? (CELLMATE) — this is cleverish. If you're doing "Life" (in prison), you might have a CELLMATE. I thought the answer was going to be something like TIMES or LIMB.

34D: Great illustrations (EPITOMES) — easy to misinterpret both "Great" and "illustrations." Puts you in mind of large paintings (or frescoes or murals). But today, it's just perfectly apt ("great") examples ("illustrations") of ... whatever.
43A: Origin story family in DC Comics (KENTS) — Superman's adoptive parents are the KENTS.
49D: Casting need (DIE) — this was kinda hard. We typically "throw" or "roll" dice (when playing, say, a TABLETOP game). I only encounter the verb "cast" in the context of the phrase "the DIE is cast" (alea iacta est), which is what Caesar is alleged to have said when he crossed the Rubicon. "The phrase is often used to indicate events that have passed a point of no return" (wikipedia). [I’m being told this clue probably refers to DIE-casting]

Time for the Boxing Day edition of 🌲🐈Holiday Pet Pics🐕🌲! Note: PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME ANY MORE PET PICS, I'M ALL FULL UP FOR THIS YEAR, thank you.

A couple of memorial photos up front. Here's Cody, who was beamed up to heaven in a heart-shaped bubble last month. What a sweet face...

[Thanks, Martha!]

And here's Lola, who died last year at age 13. As you can see, Lola was an expert shredder of presents (or plush toys, or scraps of paper, whatever you got, total pro)

[Thanks, Mimi!]

Here's Pico realizing he's in way over his head. "Why did I volunteer to be in charge of lights again!?!"

[Thanks, Marilyn!]

Lupo, on the other hand, is hiding. He has learned his lesson. "No way they're putting me on light-hanging duty again, man. No way!"

"Bah, hiding is boring, let's eat the tree!"

[Thanks, Jill!]

Zack just wants you to take it away. Away. Not amused. Not interested

[Thanks, Christian!]

And finally today, we have Odin, seen here saving Christmas once again. Sometimes you have to crush a few villagers if you wanna save Christmas. It happens. The point is: Christmas, saved. Once again. By Odin. RIP ten villagers.

[Thanks, Luke!]

See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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❤️ Support this blog ❤️:

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